A citizen wrote after the Round Table discussion touched him

In the “Nature of Rain2009″ garden show Isupervisedtheinfo–center, and on this occasionwerealsosomepeoplefrom the Oberndorfsite. In this and onother occasions, I learned that youwere very popularas mayor, as adistrict administrator (county chief), I’ve heard less.

I run aspecialtynurseryinO…. that is well known in Europe. Several times it has been presented on TV(Bayern 3). We havebeeninvolvedinabout 20garden shows likeRain amLech.

For meas a family man it does hurt whenparents have their childrentaken away. I find theremoval of the children of the Twelve Tribes not justified, and it has lasted for more than a year now.

The reasonsfor my perspective I will explain in this letter.

On September 4, 2014, Iwasat a public eventat the Hotel Krone. Thepeacefultestimoniesby some of the concerned youthtouched meandled meto write this letter. Peoplebehavedintheir time of need in anexemplary fashion — andwithout hatred. As you canimagine, being a parent, it is unbearable, certainly, whentheir childrenaretaken fromthem!

Here are a fewreasons thatspeakto meto givethe children back to the parents.

Inthe broadcaston RTL, the children were punishedwith a rod, butno childwascryingforrealpain(which wouldsound different).

RTLmade dubiouscuts of the scenes afterwards, [not showing] that the childrenwere thentakenandcomfortedinthearm.

Once I wason acourtyard partyinKlosterzimmern. On this occasion,Ihad only seenhappyandwell-behaved children. If all thechildrenbehavedsowellin the country, your [job would be] lighter(whichyoucertainlywouldprefer) asDistrict Administrator.

If this high and senseless standard were applied to all children, then the Jugendamt (Social Services) would need a lot more workers. Also, they would need more children’s homes and workers.

Theremoval of the child, in my opinion,is not in thechild’s welfare, as indicated.

Thechildren suffer fromtheverysituationand are bullied by other childrenas “cult children”.

InGermanythere is no collectivepunishment.Socan a childbe deprived of his parents because ofbelonging to afaith community.2

Mr. Commissioner, you have the delegated authority thatallows youto take the role of amediatorinthis case. Pleaseseekdiscussions with theparentsandprovidethemwith social services. I hope for asensible solutionfor all involved, especiallyfor the children.

Just a note:

Iandmy familyare not among the Twelve Tribes, andI have not punishedmy childrenifthey saytheyarenottired. Butas a fatherI knowthekidssaytheyarenottired whenthey are verytired. Letterslike this arenotmy passionandIsee myselfintherarestcasesprompted so asto writehere.

In late 2013, our lawyer asked a very pertinent question of the German Constitutional Court. And it seems to have had an effect on the lower courts, because all of a sudden three of our youth were released. This was his question: “What this court has to decide is whether a youth, with nothing against her, can be taken from her parents, with nothing against them, simply because of their religious beliefs. Such a thing has not happened in this country since the dark days of the world war… and may it never happen again!” And it raises the legal issue of clan-guilt, known by the ugly German name of sippenhaft. And his question deals squarely with the gross illegality of the September 5, 2013 raid on our communities. Guilt is individual, not communal. We were all deemed guilty by association with one another. How tragic will be the consequences of this egregious (conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible.) violation of human rights remains to be seen. ↩

Walking by Faith in Germany, Part 3

Through the contact of old friends, two of our number were inspired to go out walking in Germany. These friends had heard of what we have been going through being persecuted by the state for our religious beliefs.

As you will see, it is rare when people meet us personally that they are able to believe any more the lies and slanders about us. See, when we are no longer “objects” to them, but real people who obviously love and care for others, their hearts open up.

Here is the brief story of a recent walk of faith in Germany of a special young couple from the Community in Wörnitz.

…Participating in our suffering, our friends encouraged us to endure.

Fast forward to June 2014 when C. sent an e-mail saying that B.’s birthday was going to be the following weekend. She suggested that it would be wonderful for B. if we could be their surprise guests. This prompted us to get on the road.

After asking all kinds of people at the Wörnitz rest area for a ride, finally a car pulled in and Barak said, “Probably this is our ride.” It turned out to be our ride… with a nice married couple from former East Germany. We had a lot to talk about, even about our situation with our children. They extended our conversation long past our arrival and said that if they saw us again the next day (our day to return home), they would pick us up again.

After many futile attempts to hitch a ride, Barak approached a married couple. They showed themselves interested, even intrigued by us. “Hey, we had already wondered whether you two might be Christians,” the lady commented. They swiftly cleared space for us in their car. They were curious as to what we were doing and where we were going. “Oh, you don’t even know the street address of your friends. Hmm, I can send them a text message to find out. Just give me their cell phone number.” “Oh, yes, thank you so much.”

It turned out she was an up-and-coming teacher and he did computer work in the advertisement industry. They were shocked to hear about the situation with our children and totally sympathetic about it. Without us even dreaming of it, they went out of their way to drop us off right at C. and B.’s house.

Barak and Shalhevet

Once there, we were welcomed in the circle of B.’s family, a Christian friend of theirs, along with a Mormon couple from Utah. C. and B., along with their Christian friend, stood out to us by their sincerity to want to follow the Word. They expressed much care, hospitality, and friendship to us. They are at a point in their life where they want to get out of their rut, get out of their rented apartment with a restrictive landlord, and move into a bigger place where they can have an open house. They can even see us moving in with them. “I can share my room, even sleep in a bunk, if you two move in,” C. said from her heart. B. insisted on driving us to our next destination.

Before we arrived at our next stop, a Christian family, I was getting a little nervous, and my heart was full of anticipation of seeing them again after four years. When they were coming towards us in their courtyard, I had to cry. I was wondering why, but it was because my heart recognized them as two very honorable people, hopefully our future brother and sister!

Our time with them was marked by friendship, hospitality, and heartfelt conversations for seven hours straight. It was confirmed in us that their hearts are the same as ours. They also had experienced very humbling circumstances making them very desperate altogether and wondering how much longer they’ll be able to endure in Germany. Most recently, she had been agonizing to find a real purpose for their seventeen-year-old sons during the coming six-week summer vacation. We were able to tell her we had that for them. So now they are invited. They accompanied us to the nearby rest area where they talked and waited with us until we had our ride. What friends.

Barak squatted down to listen to a young man passionately playing his guitar on a lawn. There was no car anywhere near. Minutes later another young man (they had just met each other) returned from the restaurant and sat down. This eighteen-year-old man was willing to take us to the next rest area. The first man was a traveler and a dreamer and very tender hearted.

He thankfully took Barak’s invitation and was going to visit us. The second man was very open and revealed his entire private life to us. Once at the next rest area, he just parked his car there to continue talking with us until we had our next ride almost an hour later.

A businessman Barak approached pointed to his full car. But Barak was sensitive enough to feel that the man was actually open to suggestions on how to clear some space to fit us in. Barak helped him reorganize his car until there were two extra seats. It turned out that this man had been a monk for eight years until he had seen enough of the relationships among monks.

The family he started lay in ruins now as he and his wife had separated after seventeen years. All the while his heart had remained tender, so that he received our invitation and maybe even a flicker of hope for his life. Also, when the subject of our children came up, he had a lot of sympathy for us knowing from his own experience how much injustice there is in Germany.

It was starting to get dark (as walkers know, time to get home or find some shelter) when we approached someone with an alternative-looking truck. Without any hesitation he consented to taking us. Wow! We are still going to make it home tonight. “You two are lucky because I often take hitchhikers, but normally a friend of mine would have come with me. Today she got ill, so here you are.”

When he heard of our plight with our children, he got riled up and shouted, “Those are Gestapo methods!” He himself tries to stay out of mainstream society as much as he possibly can. He took us to a parking lot five minutes from Wörnitz where faithful Tahar Takif came to pick us up even though it was after 11:00 pm.

We definitely felt strengthened in our faith, cared for by our Father at every step of the way, and were surprised how many people sympathized with us and really wanted to talk with us. It was clear our Father had picked them to pick us up.

Little voices… crying out… some not even old enough to make clear words or sentences, yet you can understand – “help” “children” “parents” “Germany”… Then come the booming voices of the 5 and 6 year old children clearly, loudly begging for the children in the far away tribe of Levi… then all the rest… crying out with all their hearts…

Recently some of us had the opportunity to travel across the US and were able to go to several of our communities. In each community we visited we were amazed, for in every place it was exactly the same. When it came time to pray, the children’s voices rose up quickly from every corner of the room… Their little voices, so clear and so pure, begging their Abba in heaven to rescue the children of Levi.

They pray for “servants in places of authority”, “that the children would not be deceived”, that “the children would not be defiled by the things of the world”, loudly “bring the children back to their parents”, and “do not let the parents lose their courage to stand”, and on and on go up the little prayers.

The children are not growing weary… the prayers from the little ones this morning at our morning gathering in Vista are just as fervent as the day of the Raid nearly 6 months ago at the Wake Up Call on Yom Teruah.

Now there are two more children who have escaped (at least partially) from the grasp of those who would destroy the Tribe of Levi in Germany. And we will give thanks and praise to YHWH, our God, who hears His little children.

We were so thankful for the zeal of all the little ones who pray. When asked what they were thankful for during the story last night, one little six-year-old child raised his hand quickly, almost without thinking, “That I do not have to go to public school!” he proclaimed.

They realize that being forced to go to public school is also one of the great injustices the children of Levi are being compelled to endure at this time.

How long, O land of Poets and Thinkers, how long?

Sometimes I try to understand how long you have to study to come to the firm conviction that it is good to take out cheerful, innocent, open-minded children from a healthy, intact family bond with an early morning police raid.

Sometimes I try to understand how long you have to study to come to the firm conviction that it is good for children who were torn from intact families to close them consistently off from their parents.

Sometimes I try to understand how long you have to study to come to the firm conviction that it is good that these children may only get one letter from their friends per week.

Sometimes I try to understand how long you have to study to come to the firm conviction that it is good, siblings, which have grown up in a warm harmonious environment with their parents in a renewed raid brutally to separate from one another and their mothers.

Sometimes I try to understand how long you have to study to come to the firm conviction that it is good to suddenly tear away babies from their mothers early in the morning to suspend a ban on contact for weeks.

Sometimes I try to understand how long you have to study to come to the firm conviction that it is good that the parents may see their children every few weeks for 1.5 hours.

Sometimes I try to understand how long you have to study to come to the firm conviction that it is good that this is all completely lawfully happening under German law.

Sometimes I try to understand how long you have to study to come to the firm conviction that it is good that the children slowly become alienated from their parents.

Sometimes I try to understand how long you have to study to come to the firm conviction that it is good not to let the children against their explicit request go back to her parents.

Sometimes I try to understand how long you have to study to come to the firm conviction that it is good that these children now are studying in public schools, that it is good that such measures are good.

Sometimes I try to understand how long you have to study to come to the conviction that it is good, to simply turn away the head again and pretend as if it does not concern you.

A letter from Besorah to His Honor Herr Seehofer,

Please help us! I am in great despair because no one wants to hear us and no one believes us. My name is Besorah Schott and I am fourteen years old. I am also one of the children that were torn away from their parents on 9/5/2103. All my life I grew up at home in the Community in Klosterzimmern and I always did good there. I love my life there in Klosterzimmern and would never desire anything else, at least not now. We are not a cult, but rather very normal people that want to live a life that’s pleasing to God.

Just because drop-outs (fall aways) tell some horrible stories, they are being believed more than us.

If the reports of the drop-outs really were true, I would never want to live in this “terrible cult.” My siblings and I were never mistreated or yelled at by our parents. I love my parents and they love us.

I already wrote several letters to the Jugendamt (Herr Kanth) and to the lower court (the Amtsgericht where Frau Roser presides) and to the higher court (OLG, where Herr Prexl presides) but no one answers me or helps us in this case. My sisters, 11 and 9 years old, also wrote letters only to be disappointed. The younger ones suffer all the more under this dramatic separation from their parents and friends.

I was allowed to go back to my parents since one month ago (December 4), but not be together with my sisters and see them suffer breaks my heart. This injustice went so far as to even separate nursing babies from their mothers!

I am strongly convinced that there is no reason for such a separation.

Please help us that the truth would finally come into the light and this terrible suffering for all who are concerned could have an end.

It is an unimaginable pain that is hardly bearable. I am speaking for my two sisters and all the other children from Klosterzimmern.

Please listen to us and help us, that the others also will listen. Why is everyone against us? Why does no one stand up? Do children not have the right to live peacefully with their parents?

56 views

Verse 1:

Weeping at His feet, she saw the sin in her own heart
As she broke the alabaster jar, the oil poured down His head
The men rebuked her, “Why this waste?” They did not see her faith
“What she has done is worth much more,” she could hear Yahshua say.

Chorus:

This house is full of the fragrance of our Father’s love
A beautiful thing she has done for Him.
Someday her children will preach His truth throughout the world,
For she has loved much, She’s been forgiven much
She poured her whole life out on Him.

Verse 2:

Our Father’s eyes still search the earth to find willing hearts
Who see their need to trust their lives into His faithful hands
They’ll give up all they have to find true love and unity
“What Yahshua’s done is worth much more,” you will hear the nations say

(Chorus)

From our children in New England

In response to the terrible news of the Raids on our Communities in Germany, all of us wanted to make some kind of response. Soon the parents and children from the Communities in Eastern Massachusetts had a song on their heart to sing, which turned into this video after much practice. The whole experience was luminous for them, and they wanted to share it with you.

This is how one of the immas (one of the mothers) described it:

Because of Love

The call went out…How could we help? What could we give? We prayed and we cried out to the only One who could help us.

Our children raised in the way of love responded with all their hearts. Love responded.

All thirty training age children from our region gave all they had. We talked to them about what they were doing and why. We said our brothers and sisters need encouragement. They need to be reassured that we are TOGETHER in everything.

They learned three songs in a day and a half, practicing over and over and over. They SANG and played instruments with ALL their hearts! We recorded them and took pictures for our brothers and sisters and their children.

We were reminded, all of us, of how special we are and how special they are to our Father. As I looked at all of them, those little majestic ones, I fondly remembered the days in the beginning when I was a little girl. We spent so much time learning to give all we had in singing with all our hearts.

We were trained in the way of love — the way of love that has NO END. Our children were learning to do the same.

They were so happy to be doing it for our people, for those who they had really never met before but for whom they cared. Our brothers and sisters and children were who they wanted to pray for.

We deeply love our brothers and sisters in the Tribe of Levi (Germany). Our Father loves them and needs them. He will not lose or forsake them! So it is with this conviction and fervent love that we give this offering.

Ahavah shel Shaul and your brothers, sisters and children of the Massachusetts clans